State Sen. Mike Kowall— who introduced online gambling legislation in the statehouse last year — sponsored two of those bills. This year’s effort may try to balance the needs and desires of the state’s commercial casinos and tribal gaming facilities.

Complex stakeholder mix could complicate Michigan’s path

Crafting a bill in Michigan that satisfies all stakeholders and avoids legal missteps is a significant challenge.

As Dave Palermowrote in January, balancing state law and federal law regarding Indian gaming could prove a step too far to reach:

But a dozen gambling industry attorneys, lawyers and regulators told Online Poker Report that attempting to combine state and federal Indian law into a single piece of Internet legislation will be a difficult, if not impossible, task.

“There are so many regulatory and jurisdictional components to this … it may never get resolved,” said a Michigan attorney who, like several others interviewed for this article, declined to be identified.

Michigan’s gambling landscape is further muddled by a debate over whether state law would require expansion of gambling to be subject to a constitutional amendment and/or two-thirds approval of the state Legislation.

Regulated online gambling does appear to have at least one active opponent in the state. Last December, Online Poker Report acquired a letter commissioned by a lobbying firm that sought to portray online gambling as a threat to commercial casino revenue.

The party ultimately behind the letter, which was based on outdated and mischaracterized research, remains unknown.

Michigan joins growing list of states interested in regulation

Michigan’s initiative marks the fifth state to enter the regulated online gambling conversation in 2017.

Dustin Gouker -
Dustin Gouker has been a sports journalist for more than 15 years, working as a reporter, editor and designer -- including stops at The Washington Post and the D.C. Examiner. He has played poker recreationally for his entire adult life and has written about poker since 2008.